Interview Bob Whitehill, Stereoscopic Supervisor Pixar on 3D (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

This was one of the highlights of the meet for me, particularly because we hear so rarely from the folk making the decisions regarding 3D elements and their aggressiveness. His candor and presentation were extremely enjoyable.

Couldn't have said it better myself! I will add that having now seen the results of this work, I can't imagine Nemo looking better. It is clear that a lot of thought and passion went into making this 3D look as good as it could.
Count me in among those who would like to have a FEW gimmicky pop outs in with all the depth. Love the way Dreamworks is using the minions to make that happen!
BUT I'd rather it all be carefully considered, and if Depth is the way to get the best use out of something like Nemo then I'm all for it!

 

[Doctorossi]

the people who suffer eye fatigue are unlikely to watch content in 3D anyways

I can't agree with that assertion.

may i ask you Doctorossi what your favourite 3D film is, it will help me understand what type of 3D presentation you enjoy.

I think that information would help you misunderstand what type of 3D presentation I enjoy. Any conclusion drawn from a sample size of one is never going to be accurate.
That said, I can give you some examples of modern (digital) 3D presentations I've enjoyed:
Coraline
Avatar
Up
Hugo
Prometheus

 

[Robert Crawford]

I viewed the Nemo BR in 3-D this past weekend and thought back to the presentations we were given on our visit. It really dawn on me during my viewing, how much pain-staking work had to be completed in order to convert an original 2-D film into a 3-D film with as much depth this BR release had in it. A great job by all that contributed to that final product. Also, the presentation of Peter Pan will be remembered when I view that BR release in the coming weeks. Wreck-It Ralph, I revisited again last month in a movie theater and I really look forward to adding that title to my BR collection.








Crawdaddy

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi /t/325904/bob-whitehill-stereoscopic-supervisor-pixar-on-3d#post_4013289
I can't agree with that assertion.
I think that information would help you misunderstand what type of 3D presentation I enjoy. Any conclusion drawn from a sample size of one is never going to be accurate.
That said, I can give you some examples of modern (digital) 3D presentations I've enjoyed:
Coraline
Avatar
Up
Hugo
Prometheus

Some good films there, i really enjoy the 3D presentation of Coraline. Will you be viewing the Queens speech in 3D this Xmas. ?

 

[Doctorossi]

Will you be viewing the Queens speech in 3D this Xmas. ?

I don't plan to, whether or not she intends to pop out at us.

 

[Matt Hough]

Thank you, Adam, for bringing back vivid memories of this superb presentation.

I do think that the 3D version of Finding Nemo is the one I'll always watch when I revisit the movie.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford /t/325904/bob-whitehill-stereoscopic-supervisor-pixar-on-3d#post_4013296
I viewed the Nemo BR in 3-D this past weekend and thought back to the presentations we were given on our visit. It really dawn on me during my viewing, how much pain-staking work had to be completed in order to convert an original 2-D film into a 3-D film with as much depth this BR release had in it. A great job by all that contributed to that final product. Also, the presentation of Peter Pan will be remembered when I view that BR release in the coming weeks. Wreck-It Ralph, I revisited again last month in a movie theater and I really look forward to adding that title to my BR collection.

Crawdaddy

I have a similar transcript on Peter Pan. I figure I will post it closer to the release date of the Blu-ray.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

I respect the fact that Pixar is using 3D to impact the story and is being careful to consider eye fatigue. Having said that, three or four good "in your face" moments over a 90 minute period won't make or break the story or your vision. Worst case put it in the credits ala the ladder scene during the credits in Despicable Me.

 

[Panman40]

Storytelling should drive the 3D enhancement, not some arbitrary directive to create "pop-out" moments or any other kind of moments that are added for their own sake and not for the sake of enhancing the specifics of the story. I want to experience a good story, well told, not abstract eye-candy. The focus on storytelling as the driver for every aesthetic decision is the reason that Pixar movies are good and worth watching in the first place. This is a movie, not a carnival attraction.

I have skipped through much of Nemo and found it flat and boring, I have been waiting for a Nemo release in BD for an age so was thrilled when I found out it was 3D.
Depth and naturalism is a must for 3D I agree but when a conversion looks like this I will watch it in 2D (stunning by the way).
I will be watching it in full soon but I have seen conversions from Dreamworks which look fantastic. If Nemo was beauty and the beast quality I would be much happier.

 

[Panman40]

I plan on watching the queens speech, maybe I can shake hands with her from my sofa

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Panman40 /t/325904/bob-whitehill-stereoscopic-supervisor-pixar-on-3d#post_4013370
I plan on watching the queens speech, maybe I can shake hands with her from my sofa

Lets just hope they don't broadcast the birth of the baby that Princess Catherine is having next year, that is one case where i don't want anything popping out of the screen at me. ( apologies to those having dinner )

 

[Andy_Munich]

There were some high quality, HT nerd-tastic presentations during the trip. The one by Pixar was a highlight. In fact, everything Disney did for us really set the bar high. And to think they were sitting on a huge secret the whole time.
It was probably for the best we weren't all Star Wars struck the whole time.

 

[Rob Willey]

This presentation was a truly fascinating insight to the work and decision-making that goes into 3D animation work. Thanks Disney and Pizar!

 

[GregK]

This was probably my favorite discussion of the week and the transcript doesn't do it justice. Bob was a passionate, knowledgeable and really funny speaker. I wish I could have included the original images but was told no . There were a few things that stood out to me:

• Pixar isn't doing conversions per se, but actually using the original CG files to reanimate and create a brand new 3D film. In the case of Nemo its actually higher resolution than the original.

Agreed: It is very important to note that this in effect is essentially a true stereoscopic production (sans the original planning), which in turn is far superior to a typical live action 2D to 3D conversion. No conversion artifacts to worry about. 3-D layering by the film's very construction was for the most part already "built in". Pixar now has made two (L/R) viewpoints of that virtual production

• Its been asked elsewhere on the forum why they don't just release the 3D disc and people w/o 3D can just play it back on their system in 2D. I now understand why they have different discs for 2D and 3D. I didn't realize prior to Bob's presentation that they actually tweak a lot of things between the versions as there are a lot of scenes in the 2D version that don't have the same impact in 3D without making small tweaks.

The other factor that often warrants a 3-D only disc is space. The 3-D bluray spec, while efficient, still takes up more room than its 2-D counterpart. This is one of the reasons why most 3-D blurays have little to no special features. Although I wouldn't mind seeing the original 3-D trailers also included, as they are a small inclusion in the overall bit budget (..hint hint).

• Ron has the same views as you do Malcolm. He wants more things to come out at you. Personally I think Pixar has focused on using 3D to really add to the "depth" of the picture and has avoided any "gimmicky" use, which I admit can be fun if used correctly. I think you will see them start to push the envelope a bit more. They are huge 3D supporters, but are also really being cautious about how far to push things based on the their research of eye fatigue.

And this also ties into the age old 3-D "tug of war" Bob Furmanek mentioned previously:

In 1953, if they included gimmicks (off screen shots) the critics complained and said they were dragged in and unnecessary.
If they didn't include any gimmicks, the critics complained and said "why shoot it in 3-D?"
Talk about a no win situation.
Somewhere I have an article discussing this. If I recall correctly, based on the comments taken in the lobby at different shows, it was primarily the younger audience that wanted gimmicks.

I feel Pixar used what I personally call the Jack Arnold approach. When I first saw the two Jack Arnold features "It Came From Outer Space" and "Creature from the Black Lagoon" repeatedly on TV as a kid, I didn't know they had been shot in 3-D. The out of screen effects shots (for the 1950s productions) were naturally integrated into the features, as in the feature didn't stop in its tracks to say.. "Hey we need to throw some stuff at the screen." and then start back up, like a good deal of the 1980s 3-D film later did. It is worth noting there were other 1950s directors who also took the same approach, while others were more blatant. The point being is I think we are coming full circle. A number of people think nothing comes out the 3-D window in Avatar, sans a few floating pod-lings. But if one studies the feature throughout, a number of things, (guns, animals, flashlights, spears) do break the stereo window in Avatar. But if it would been done blatantly to call attention to itself, then the effect would have been more of a gimmick. Jack Arnold didn't want that, James Cameron didn't want that, and Pixar didn't want that. The Pixar team (if one really looks for them throughout the feature) was able to pull off that balance quite naturally off a number of times never the less ...in a movie that wasn't conceived for 3-D in the first place. And that .. is a pretty cool feat to pull off.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by GregK /t/325904/bob-whitehill-stereoscopic-supervisor-pixar-on-3d/30#post_4013649
The other factor that often warrants a 3-D only disc is space. The 3-D bluray spec, while efficient, still takes up more room than its 2-D counterpart. This is one of the reasons why most 3-D blurays have little to no special features. Although I wouldn't mind seeing the original 3-D trailers also included, as they are a small inclusion in the overall bit budget (..hint hint).
And this also ties into the age old 3-D "tug of war" Bob Furmanek mentioned previously:

Space isn't the issue, they use the left eye when giving the option of 2D and 3D on the disc, they do not cram 2 different versions onto the disc, the issue is that the 3D version will be different from the traditional 2D edition thus its wise not to offer the option to view in 2D, many projectors/televisions can allow you to view a 3D disc in 2D anyways so the point is moot.

 

[theonemacduff]

It occurs to me that if they are re-rendering based on the original data, then it should also be possible to create an HFR version. What would Nemo look like @ 48fps, I wonder, or better yet, The Incredibles, or Ratatouille ......
Oh, btw, the YouTube video link doesn't appear to be working, and nothing plays when I press play; my system? Or a glitch?

 

[Dave Whipps]

Thank You Disney!
Count me in as a 3D fan - especially when it's done the way Disnet PIXAR can do it. This was one of the most informative and interesting presentations and demos of the trip. Very glad I have a 3D set to enjoy all the content and look forward to more and more from these folks. I wish we would have had more time to spend with the Disney Team.
The Peter Pan blu-ray will be a big hit. The resoration is beautiful . (I've already pre-ordered mne.)
Wreck it Ralph is a great movie - but folks already know that since its been out for ahwile. How great to see it before it was released.
Thank You Disney
Dave

 

[captgoodguy]

Thanks Adam for the excellent recap. I agree with you that the passion the Pixar group have doesn't come through. It's no secret that I'm all things Disney and this was indeed my favorite visit. The extensive work they go through to ensure a quality product is what Walt was all about. They carry on the tradition and you can see it in their own personalities when they were presenting.

 

[Frank Ha]

I also agree that the recap doesn't do justice to the enthusiasm that the Pixar group had. They really do care about what they are doing. I don't have a 3D display, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy learning how they do 3D. Their passion for what they do made for a very enlightening and fun learning experience. I'll be purchasing Finding Nemo soon!
Also,
I pre-ordered Peter Pan and, based on what we saw at the studio, I'm really looking forward to watching it on Blu.
It was fun watching the sneak peek of Wreck it Ralph, too. That was definitely a great experience. The movie was fun and watching it at the Disney Studio made it a very special experience.
Like Russell I'm a big fan of Disney, although I'll concede that he knows a lot more than I do . Naturally, being at the Disney studio was a highlight for me. Thanks Disney, for inviting us to visit. You really made us feel welcome and the gifts you gave are very much appreciated (My wife and I were thrilled to watch Brave with our grand daughter during the Thanksgiving weekend).

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by theonemacduff /t/325904/bob-whitehill-stereoscopic-supervisor-pixar-on-3d/30#post_4013898
Oh, btw, the YouTube video link doesn't appear to be working, and nothing plays when I press play; my system? Or a glitch?

Thanks, not sure what the problem was. I re-inserted it and it seems to be working (for now)